Rehabilitated mink killed a chicken and now the other two refuse to go inside the run at all.

[Kelleyv83]

Good morning!

I am a veterinarian and also do wildlife rehab. I recently rehabbed an orphaned mink kit and built a predator-proof and, so I thought!, escape-proof enclosure for the mink to continue rehab. Last week, he escaped his enclosure and found a way inside the chicken run (found out it was through a very small space under the coop which is now covered with mesh wire). I had three chickens, two Rhode island reds and an americauna, and now only one RIR and the Americauna.
The girls free-range during the day when I am out there with them tending to the garden but now refuse to go back in their run or coop. Do you think they are scared to go back in due to the horrific, but unfortunately natural, event that occurred? Do chickens remember this stuff? They are terrified of me so I cannot put them back in their run without guiding them with a sheet. Their run is very large (see picture below - this was when it was first built - please excuse the mess surrounding the coop

) for two chickens, they have a swing and plenty of places to roost, but refuse to go in there. Their coop is also plenty big for two chickens and it also has nesting boxes and places to roost.
They have now chosen to roost on my covered back porch so I placed several branches there for them that extend high off of the ground.
Has anyone else had this experience?
Thank you!!!

 

[centrarchid]

They remember and will avoid an area where bad things happen. I have kept free-range raccoons and even opossums in area that overlapped with free-range chickens. Roosting sites need to be at least 48" above ground and not directly accessible by climbing raccoon. I had to use tin sheets rapped around surfaces the raccoons would otherwise shimmy up. Pole material wrapped needs to be at least 12 inches diameter or close to flat.

Mink not world class climbers so should be easier.

 

[AmyJane725]

Chickens definitely remember stuff like that and will avoid the scene of the attack for a while.

I can't tell super well from your picture, but it looks like you are using chicken wire (or some other welded wire) as the walls of your run. Is that correct? If so, that is not predator proof and needs to be switched out for 1/2" hardware cloth. This will protect your remaining birds. Good luck.